It isn’t just a “young man” whose fancy turns to love in spring. Kids also “reawaken” with the first bloom of the crocus through the snow in Ohio. Trying to keep kids attention focused on their studies becomes a bit more difficult for parents when warmer temperatures have kids panting to be outdoors or engaged in spring activities. Parents can help kids to stay focused in spring by ensuring there is balance between their kids’ natural exuberance and ability to focus on their studies.

Tips to Help Parents Cope with Kids’ “Spring Fever”

One way for parents to help kids bathe gently in spring fever is to provide a connection between changing temperatures, increasing sunlight due to Daylight Saving Time and their studies.

For example, there are many ways to use “spring fever” to keep them focused on science and math by encouraging kids to align their studies to changes taking place all around them in spring. In fact, parents can encourage their kids to use these changes to advantage in science, math and literary projects, such as reports, special projects and presentations.

Align Kids’ Ages with Focus on Studies

Educators all know that to expand the minds of children, it is necessary to gear their studies to age levels. Parents can do this at home in a vibrant Ohio spring by exposing their children to various poets, artists and authors who’s work is influenced by Spring.

In the sciences, develop kids’ focus by helping them to learn more about the particular subjects they are learning. For example, if the course of study is algebra, help kids to learn about the history of the subject, the significance of algebra in today’s hi tech world and how they can better understand the subject. Parents can also create a science project at home for their kids by helping them advance their knowledge of plant or insect growth in various forms.

Keeping Ohio Kids Focused on their Education

One thing parents can do to keep their kids focused on their educations is to provide examples of the lack of education and the causes and effects of having limited knowledge. Parents should always encourage a “thirst” for knowledge in their kids. This should include a step in the path of kids’ education toward technology. Help kids to develop an intense curiosity of technology and technological logic that will be of immense benefit to their futures.

In addition, consider clear rules that respect their desire to get outside more but also makes clear the need to keep up academics. Some kids will not need extra attention but even some of the best students will feel a little more restless and need attention from parents to keep on track. Enjoy the weather.

A recording studio in the Akron Ohio area works with advertising professionals and video producers to create soundtracks for some of the best known brands in North America.

2016 was an exciting year for Audio Concepts, filled with great clients, innovative sound designs, introductory videos, corporate presentations, digital and broadcast media all recorded, mixed and produced at its production studios in Bath Ohio.

Most sessions at Audio Concepts begin with “I’m looking for a voice…” The voice is what connects your message with your audience. Each year we are contacted by hundreds of talents from throughout the world, but select only a few to be part of our world-class voices. Unlike internet sites, every talent with which we work is carefully screened and auditioned. We know what each can deliver and the nuances that make them unique. Whether you’re telling a story, launching a new product or describing the most complicated procedure, Audio Concepts is where your creative finds its voice.

For over 30 years we have specialized in finding just the right voice for your message. In that time we have recorded the best talent available and today we have what our clients believe is a cadre of voices that are second to none. Last year we cast, directed and produced audio to introduce consumers to an Alexa embedded lamp from GE, numerous political campaigns, safety training for Davey Tree, international voices for Quanex and Vision Ease to name just a few.

But casting is just part of the Audio Concepts story. The power of sight and sound combine into the ultimate media experience. Video production companies rely on our sound design and mixing expertise to take their ideas from imagination to inspiration. Our innovative sound designs enhance, captivate and engage, creating the kind of involvement
today’s consumer demands.

Every script is different and requires a unique approach. We work with each client to
custom craft the sound that that enhances the visual experience and speaks to their audience.

Discover what our clients already know; that its more than just our studios, world-class talent and extensive sound design experience that makes us different, it’s our uncanny ability to take your creative and make it sound extraordinary.

During a school flu outbreak, it is very likely your child will come home sick and will get the other members of your home sick as well. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/everyday_preventive.pdf offers some guidelines to help you deal with a flu outbreak at school or at work, and here are 7 concise easy steps to follow if you are home with a sick child or spouse.

Wash your hands and your children’s hands with soap and water every time you enter your home. Keeping germs away from the outside world is a good tip for anyone dealing with small and school age children.

Change linens and bathroom towels daily when you are sick. Contaminating each other by using the same towels or sharing a pillow will ensure that everyone gets sick, and stay sick for a longer period of time.

Disinfecting kitchen and bathroom counters thorough out the day will ensure that you’ll encounter less germs going forward.

Believe it or not, feeding your children chicken noodle soup will get them through their illness a bit faster

Covering their mouths on their sleeves instead of their hands should decrease the number of germs they spread around the home.

Cleaning door knobs around the home will greatly decrease the germs that get passed around.

A diet full of fruits and vegetables can do a lot of good to your child. The old saying of “An apple a day will keep the doctor away” hasn’t survived this long for no reason.

Whether you are in Akron or anywhere, this is great advice.

For more about flu outbreaks and what to do about them, check the CDC for more information.

The new year is often associated with change – a time to put the negativities of the past and change for the better. People are often inclined to change something in themselves at the start of the year – from something small like getting a new hair color to something substantially larger, like changing careers or planning to get married to their significant other. We have all done it at some point since we believe there should be progress in ourselves or at least there is hope for progress, so why not include the look of our homes in that change as well?

In this article, I will share some decorating ideas that will hopefully spark your creative side. I should say that not all of these ideas are trendy and whatnot, some of them may even be classics in their own, but if you have not applied them in your home, the change can be beautiful. If you have not tried them, I encourage you to do so. If anything, the new look should be an interesting change in your humble abode.

Go green. Plants can instantly change the look of the room. Plus, they take in carbon dioxide and help produce oxygen. I’m sure we have seen those small plants placed in bathrooms. What’s the first thing you notice? I myself have always noticed that the room looks more alive. Most of us don’t have picture perfect bathrooms worthy of being featured in magazines, but we can add color and life just by adding a plant or a terrarium. It’s not just for bathrooms. Terrariums look great on desk tops and since they can be small, they don’t take up much space.

Pick a theme. If you have a bit of extra budget and time, you can pick a theme for some rooms in your home. Do your children love the beach? Why not pick a nautical theme for their room. Decorate it with anchors or a ship’s wheel and pick some starfish-printed curtains for them? Make sure that the room does not get too cluttered with the same stuff. Gold looks wonderful and classy in a living room, but too much gold will make it look overpowering and quite tacky.

Frame it up. I’ve always told my friends that living in the digital age has made it easier for parents to take snap shots of their little ones any time of the day. We all have our favorites and the ones we won’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Get those pictures printed in a bigger size and have them framed. They look especially nice on staircase walls. After some time, you will see how your baby has grown over the years and you can look at the images wistfully.

Lights. It’s no secret that lights and their settings can instantly make a difference in a room and a person’s mood. Sunlight in the morning looks cheerful and happy; dim light looks romantic. There are many affordable chandeliers in the market today and you can even make one of your own if you’re handy with electrical wires. This does not just apply to living rooms and bedrooms. You can even change the lighting in your kitchen if you think your overhead light is too bright.

Your home is your sanctuary, so it’s crucial for your well-being that it looks like a place you want to be in at the end of a long day. Don’t neglect it and try to make it look pleasing with the resources that you have so that when you come home after a day outside, it will welcome you into the comfort of its arms.

I will be the first to admit that the holidays can be a seriously messy season. Usually in our household, the mess starts around November and doesn’t stop until the decors are neatly packed and stored in the attic for another year. I’m not talking about regular household mess, but we have those, too. I am pertaining to all the garbage that seem to accumulate within the house during this season – from candy wrappers that are remnants of the kids’ trick or treating to the gift bags and toy boxes that arrive in the house together with my in-laws and other relatives.

Don’t get me wrong, I welcome the gifts and the holiday visits. However, after all our loved ones ride their cars out of our driveway, I am usually the one who has to clean up after the wrappers and tags from gifts. This is by no means an easy task as the children get a substantial number of gifts from their aunts, uncles and grandparents. Over the years, I have learned to form a system when it comes to the mess during the holidays, particularly in my kids’ rooms. As a mother, I felt the need to share some ideas on how to de-clutter rooms to other mothers out there who might need these ideas just as badly as I did years ago. So, to all mothers out there, listen up…

Put up shelves. Since I’m not handy with tools, I asked my husband to do this for me. We had to get those wood planks from our local home improvement store; they have those that are perfect as shelves. You may or may not need to sand them, it depends how rough the planks’ surface are. My kids have a collection of storybooks that they received from my parents and sisters, so we put them all in there. If one of them wants to read one, they need to inform us since the shelves are out of their reach. That pretty much controls at least a quarter of the mess in their room.

Contain them. This is another helpful way to de-clutter your child’s bedroom and it works best with toddlers and preschoolers. At that age, they tend to scatter all their toys around the house and just leave them everywhere when they lose interest. I have found plastic veggies in my shoe once and another one in the bathroom. Basically, what we did was purchase those plastic boxes with lids on them. We placed their toys in boxes and just gave them one box-full of toys to play with. It may not sound that efficient, but we were able to lessen the mess by doing that. That way, they don’t scatter all their toys around the room. I also saved my husband from stepping into LEGO parts and for anyone who has had that misfortune, you know how much that actually hurts.

Donate. This is not an easy thing to do and I understand it. I watched Toy Story movies from 1-3. Believe me, I understand. However, it is a sad reality that kids will outgrow their toys and rather than leave them to gather dust, we donate them. It wasn’t easy at first and you just have to let them understand that other kids with no money for new toys would love to play with their discarded toys. This also goes for clothing. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment you’ll feel when you see your kids saying goodbye to their well-loved toys knowing that they will cheer other children up is priceless.

There you have it, folks. I’m sure some of you have used these methods in the past with varying success. While the task can be quite daunting, I find that it’s really just a matter of reaching out to your children. Talking to them and making them understand how important it is not to make a mess in their rooms is something that parents must not neglect to do. While the above methods have all worked out for me, it will not be possible without my children’s willingness to work with us.

Do you have other ideas on how to de-clutter your child’s room? Share it with us by commenting down below.

A few posts ago, I wrote a piece about the other uses of baking soda aside from baking. As I was writing that piece, I started to wonder what other household items have different uses aside from the obvious ones and so my search for such items began. Needless to say, the internet is a huge network of stored and shared knowledge, so I have found quite a number of such items. In this article, I will share the results of my search with you in the hopes that you will find some useful tips in them. Who knows? The next time you run out of shaving cream, you might store a common household item that you can substitute for it.

Disclaimer: What I share to you is a result of my search online. I will state what I have tried personally, but since this is quite recent, I have not tried a lot of them. If you have, feel free to comment down below as I’m sure there are readers who are curious what works and what doesn’t.

Brown sugar and honey as facial scrub. I have actually tried this one. I make my scrub by mixing a tablespoon of honey with brown sugar. It feels sticky, I won’t lie, but it does manage to get your dead skin cells.

Coffee grounds as fertilizer. If you’re one of those who actually drink fresh ground coffee every morning, then you’re in for a treat. I read somewhere that coffee grounds can be used for compost, so it does work well as fertilizer.

Use cornstarch to untangle stubborn knots. I have never actually tried this, but please let us know in the comment box down below if it works. Apparently, sprinkling a bit of cornstarch in knots help untangle them.

Olive oil as shaving cream. This goes out not only for the men, but for women as well. Isn’t it annoying when you’re busy and you just have enough time to shave and when you open the bathroom cabinet, you realized you ran out of shaving cream? Well, here’s the solution: use olive oil instead. Olive oil nourishes the skin, so that’s an extra moisturizer after you shave.

Spoons help out with the bags under your eyes. I first saw this idea internet make-up guru Michelle Phan. If you’re having trouble with puffiness under your eyes, you can use chilled stainless steel spoons to sooth the puffiness away.

There you have it ladies and gents, some household items with alternative uses. Do you know of other items around the house that can be useful in another way? Share your ideas by commenting down below.

There are a lot of articles written and advice given during the holidays about how to handle stress. Google “holiday stress” and there’re thousands of pages of information. While the holidays can be a difficult time stressful situations occur throughout the year and it’s important to develop a long term plan for dealing with them.

The best strategies to use while the stressful situation is occurring are ones which can be done anywhere at any time. They’re simple, immediately applicable and unobtrusive.

The best way to handle stressful times is to find out what works for you, practice it and do it consistently. People are unique and different things work for different people. There’s no one size fits all strategy. In some combination use the following ideas to craft an individualized plan.

* Breathe – Inhale for a count of 5. Hold for a count of 5. Exhale for a count of 5. Hold for a count of 5. Repeat 5 times.

* Physical activity – Do something physical, it’s a great way to relieve tension. Bathrooms are great places to do toe touches, jumping jacks or run in place.

*Affirmations – Create a few short, positive sentences you can keep repeating to yourself.

* Quiet Time – Take a 10 – 15 minute time out. You can find quiet places once you start looking for them.

* Gratitude List – Make a mental list of the things you’re grateful for right at that moment. Don’t complicate it, look for small things. Gratitude lists don’t have to be full of big life affirming issues, being grateful for a comfortable pair of shoes is good too.

Remember, the idea is to find the right combination of techniques which work for you. You’re trying to establish a strategy for a lifetime, so be patient and give them a fair trial over a reasonable period of time. If none of them work there’s always the Internet.

I will be the first to admit that I love to collect things. I’m far from being a hoarder, but again and again, I find myself collecting things that most people would not bother with. Over the years, I have collected my own share of jars and colorful wine bottles as well as sea glass, shells and driftwood. Perhaps it’s a good thing that I love crafting items, mostly decorative ones, out of my collection. Thanks to social media, like Pinterest and Youtube, I was able to get more ideas on how to recycle some everyday items and these are the ideas that I share with you in this article.

Mason Jar Organizers – Being a HUGE fan of jars, this is probably one of the very first ideas that come to mind when I think of its other uses. Ideally, I’d say this would suit well for bathrooms. Clean the jars well. If you’re using the jars from sandwich spread and the likes, make sure you get the glue residue from the label. Attach the jars well to the wood plank using clamps, bolt the plank to the wall and you have your own mason jar organizer – perfect for storing toothbrushes, combs and other bathroom items. Another good thing about this? You get rid of some of the clutter on your countertop and get some space back.

Driftwood and Sea Glass Art – I love the beach. Lucky for me, I get some time off to enjoy an occasional weekend getaway where I can get into the water. Aside from swimming, I find myself occupied with the task of picking up sea shells, sea glass and pieces of driftwood from the shore. All I need is glue gun, some glue stick and inspiration and I have my own beach-themed wall art. Framing the artwork in white makes it really pretty, but you can use a wood plank as canvass and it looks good as well.

Mason Jar Centerpiece – This one is rather dear to me as it combines two of my favorite things: jars and the beach. You will need some white sand (or find salt if you don’t have any), three mason jars of different sizes (and shapes if you have them), some decorative shells and three candles. The first thing you do is choose your jars, preferably the ones with a wider opening. Make sure it’s clean with no glue residue. Fill it up with white sand or fine salt, place the candle at the center and decorate the sides with shells. Make sure the bottom part of the candle is buried well into the sand so it doesn’t move around much. You can also use fake pearls to replace shells if you prefer. This is perfect as centerpiece on your table or on top of your hallway table.

There you have it, folks – three great ways to recycle your items and add a touch to your homes. As someone who does DIY projects on a regular basis, I encourage you to channel your inner artist and help the environment by recycling.

The first Thanksgiving was a party, a celebration. It was people getting together to have some food, give thanks and socialize. The food they ate was the food they had. They didn’t deliberate and decide that yams and maze say thanks better than spaghetti, spaghetti just wasn’t as an option.

For many, the day has become about the food rather than the celebration. In the last several years restaurants have seen a dramatic increase in Thanksgiving Day traffic. People talk about going to restaurants because they “don’t want to bother with the mess”. What they don’t want to bother with is cooking a big time consuming expensive traditional meal, which often doesn’t work out as planned.

There are three main holiday food gone wrong media clichés. One is of the hapless inexperienced cook ruining the day because the food is inedible. Then there’s the under-appreciated cook crying in a locked bathroom because no one appreciated or liked the elaborate feast. Finally, there’s the exhausted cook, who has been up since 4:00 am, has a melt down because no one is helping drama

In these scenarios family and friends apologize, have epiphanies and discover the true meaning of the holiday complete with heartfelt speech. Most families have their own versions of one or more of these scenes, minus the apologies, speech and epiphanies. These times aren’t always looked back on fondly.

This year think about skipping the food drama. An easy nontraditional meal might get the family to spend the day together rather than a few hours in a restaurant. If given the choice this Thanksgiving a lot of people would choose spaghetti over organic root vegetables lightly glazed with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Cook what you know, eat what you like, have a party and give some thanks.